Liverpool forward Dani Pacheco had a fantastic debut for Norwich City against Scunthorpe United on Saturday. He was a provider of the first two goals for his strike partner Grant Holt and also nearly got a hat-trick of assists when his fantastically weighted through ball found its way to Marc Tierney who hit the post. Norwich manager Paul Lambert praised Pacheco after the match:
“I thought his debut was as good as I’ve seen. I thought he was brilliant, he lifted the crowd. The hype about him was over the top. People thought he was just going to come in here like Lionel Messi. He’s only a 20-year-old kid learning the game, but I thought his performance was fantastic.”
After getting a standing ovation when he came off after 70 minutes, it was clear for everyone to see that the Spaniard is a fantastically classy player, which begs the question as to why both Roy Hodgson and now Kenny Dalglish have not yet given him a proper run out in Liverpool’s first team.
One caveat to the performance has to be that the class of opposition Pacheco faced on Saturday wasn’t the greatest. Scunthorpe look all set to be relegated and it was manager’s Alan Knill’s first match in charge after taking over from the sacked Ian Baraclough. United are in freefall and lie 12 points off safety, bottom of the Championship, and Knill said after the match that “it couldn’t get any worse than that.”
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INTRODUCING CRYSIS 2!
A loan move to Norwich will benefit him and maybe another loan next season will do him good if Norwich get promoted to see how he fares in the Premier League.
However, it’s very depressing how an average at best Spearing can get his chance in the first team while Pacheco is constantly overlooked. Pacheco possesses massive potential and it’s clear that his passing range is excellent. He’s very effective playing in the ‘hole’ just behind the main striker and is very good on the ball. His performances for the reserves have been fantastic and he also won the Golden Boot during last year’s U19 European Championship so what more does he have to do to get his chance in the first team?
For me, it’s not a question as to whether or not Pacheco is good enough for the first team. It’s quite obvious that Kenny Dalglish is favouring British youngsters such as Spearing and Shelvey. The reason Pacheco was constantly overlooked is because he’s foreign. With old-fashioned managers like Roy and Kenny young foreigners will never get their deserved chances. To be honest, Pacheco is miles better than Spearing and Shelvey.
I hope Pacheco continues to shine at Norwich and hopefully he will become an even better player when he comes back in the summer but what I want to see most is the manager treating all the youngsters equally and give Pacheco his fully deserved chance in the first team.
You neglect to mention that Pacheco is a second striker while Shelvey and Spearing are both midfielders, so it’s really hard to compare, Shelvey seems a promising and complete CM and Spearing is a terrier, he tackles and does the pass and move quite well.
Last season for Dani that would have meant displacing Gerrard and this, Mereiles or now Suarez. Do you think he would have displaced Xavi or Iniesta at Barca? It’s also hard to throw in young players when the team is underperforming but still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe. It’s a bit make or break, especially if you look at how the press treated Lucas.
I don’t think nationality has anything to do with it, as he is, or will be, considered home-grown under the UEFA quota system. His physique is probably more of a disadvantage as is the fact that he’s neither a winger nor a no. 9. His only position is in the hole. Sure, he would probably get more time at a lesser club, but that’s the way things go.
But in the end it’s not about individual brilliance but team cohesion. And for that I trust Kenny’s judgment a bit more than yours, or mine for that matter…
He will leave us and go to a club in Spain, why wouldn’t he, the way we treat him at Anfield?????
Completely agree with Eric! Even i have noticed a bias towards English youngsters over the foreign ones at our club! Pacheco is miles better than any of the reserve players and also much better than spearing and shelvey. This has been proved by his performances when he was in the same reserve team as spearing.. How he isnt involved in some premiership games is beyond me! He is way better than some of the players we have on the bench and when we are chasing games with no creativity what harm would their be sending him on! I just hope he doesnt feel mistreated at anfield and leave!
Your loss is our gain, and if Dani’s playing chances at Anfield are as slim as you suggest, maybe Paul Lambert can persuade Kenny Daglsih to reach an acceptable price so that -IF we do join you next season, Dani can be one of ours either permanently or on a season-long loan.
We at Carrow Road like to trhink we play the sort of football that suits Dani’s abilities. His celebrations after Grant Holt’s first showed Dani was immediately at home, and not the boy from the big guns lending a helping hand.
Tell you what, we’ll even try to talk Delia into coming onto the pitch at half time at Anfield and she can regale you with a song 🙂
I feel like vomiting any time i see Spearing on the pitch. At first i thought Woy doesn’t want to play Pacheco and now Dalglish is doing the same. I hate to say this but i’ll anyways. We need a manager who is not baised. I wouldn’t mind to see Kenny’s back just because of this favouritism.
if kenny Dalglish honestly believes that players like jonjo shelvey and Spearing are the best attacking options we have for the first team, then we can say good bye to the likes of pacheko and suso.. in KD mind nationality comes before skill i guess..
All valid points but you all are missing the obvious. Kenny’s hadn’t got the job yet, he is still trying to stabilise things and being very cautious with his selections. He’s only played spearing and jonjo when there was no one else. When the team are playing consistantly better and the pressure is off the players then he will play 4 sure.